Child care · County · Massachusetts
Child care centers and preschools in Plymouth County, MA
How Plymouth County, MA compares with other counties and the U.S. for child care centers and preschools: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 64 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #424 of 1,611 scored counties
#4 of 13 scored counties in Massachusetts
- Listings
- 157
- 16 chain locations (10%)
- Official establishments
- 157
- +1.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $169.3M
- On child care and other personal services · $833 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.1M
- 8% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.7
- 33% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 546,829
- +3.5% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Plymouth County
The site report maps the child care centers and preschools on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of Plymouth County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
Households in Plymouth County spend about $169.3M a year on child care and other personal services, or $833 per household, 44% above the U.S. average. Spread across 157 child care centers and preschools, that is $1.1M per center, 8% above the U.S. figure of $1M.
There are 157 child care centers and preschools on map listings in Plymouth County as of September 2026. 16 of them (10%) are chain locations, against 12% across the U.S. That comes to 7.7 for every 10,000 households, 33% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.
Official counts show 157 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in Plymouth County in 2023, up 1.3% from 2019. That is one for every 1,294 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Official counts list 393 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 9 SBA-backed loans worth $3M have gone to businesses classed as child care services in Plymouth County.
Population estimates put the population change in Plymouth County from 2020 to 2025 at +3.5%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). For child care centers and preschools, Plymouth County has a Groundwork market score of 64 (upper middle): #424 of 1,611 scored counties and #4 of 13 scored counties in Massachusetts.
How Plymouth County compares
The same measures for Massachusetts and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all child care and other personal services by the child care centers and preschools counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.
| Measure | Plymouth County | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.7 | 7.4 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $1.1M | $1.1M | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,294 | 1,206 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +1.3% | +3.2% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.5% | +2.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $833 | $795 | $581 |
| Median household income | $114,201 | $103,960 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 64 | 58 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 155 → 157+1.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,242
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $74.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 393Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 15716 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 169The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 9
- Amount
- $3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Plymouth County, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3.
Population and households in Plymouth County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 546,829+3.5% since 2020
- Households
- 203,141
- Median age
- 43.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 78%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 659 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 813
- Median household income
- $114,201+27.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $151,137
- Median home value
- $556,000
- Jobs located here
- 195,609
- Daytime population
- 454,742Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Plymouth County?
These figures cover the whole county. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the child care centers and preschools on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Plymouth County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardChild care and preschools across Massachusetts
Every Massachusetts market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Massachusetts for child care centers and preschools, numbered among those based in Massachusetts, with Plymouth County marked.
Top counties in Massachusetts
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Barnstable County, MA | 77 | 53 | 5.0 | $1.4M | +2.4% | #128 of 1,611 |
| 2Berkshire County, MA | 67 | 29 | 5.0 | $1.1M | −1.2% | #335 of 1,611 |
| 3Hampshire County, MA | 67 | 37 | 6.0 | $1.1M | +10.4% | #339 of 1,611 |
| 4Plymouth County, MA | 64 | 157 | 7.7 | $1.1M | +3.5% | #424 of 1,611 |
| 5Suffolk County, MA | 62 | 141 | 4.3 | $1.8M | +0.1% | #470 of 1,611 |
| 6Worcester County, MA | 62 | 240 | 7.1 | $993K | +3.7% | #486 of 1,611 |
| 7Middlesex County, MA | 59 | 583 | 9.2 | $1M | +2.8% | #571 of 1,611 |
| 8Essex County, MA | 58 | 242 | 7.7 | $1M | +2.3% | #606 of 1,611 |
| 9Hampden County, MA | 56 | 100 | 5.4 | $1M | +0.2% | #655 of 1,611 |
| 10Nantucket County, MA | 56 | 6 | 11.4 | $920K | +3.6% | #662 of 1,611 |
Other business types in Plymouth County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
- Child care and preschools64
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Plymouth County, MA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 157 child care centers and preschools in Plymouth County. 16 of them (10%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 157 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, up 1.3% from 2019. Official counts also show 393 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Plymouth County, MA spend on child care and other personal services?
About $169.3M a year, or $833 per household. That is 44% above the U.S. average (an index of 144, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 157 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $1.1M per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 203,141 households in Plymouth County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Plymouth County, MA compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Plymouth County has 7.7 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 33% above the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $1.1M, 8% above the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Plymouth County would have about 169, against 157 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,294 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count rose 1.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Plymouth County, MA growing?
Population estimates put Plymouth County at 546,829 people in 2025, up 3.5% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 203,141 households. Median household income in Plymouth County is $114,201, 41% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 27.6%, before inflation.
What is the Groundwork market score?
The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. Plymouth County scores 64 for child care centers and preschools (upper middle), #424 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Plymouth County. It maps the child care centers and preschools on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.
How the score works · Top markets for child care centers and preschools · All 56 business types in Plymouth County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Plymouth County?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
The button opens the report at the center of Plymouth County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.